


Warm You to Your Bones

by InTheShadows



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Insecure Tony Stark, M/M, Meet the Family, Rhodey Is A Good Boyfriend, Surprise Party, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, soft tony stark, supportive family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheShadows/pseuds/InTheShadows
Summary: When Rhodey brings up the subject - again - Tony's stomach turns. It's not as if he is against meeting Rhodey's family officially, as Rhodey's boyfriend, it's just that, well, he is against it. There is no way it can go well. Tony isn't what you call boyfriend material. He is barely friend material. There is no way they can accept him. Is there?For IronHusband Week Day 2 - "Why are you so stubborn?"/Surprise Party





	Warm You to Your Bones

“Come on Tones,” Rhodey says, “it’s just for the weekend.” 

“No way,” Tony shakes his head, “I told you honey bear that I can’t go. People to see, things to do, the world to wow, way too busy right now. Maybe some other time. But definitely tell everyone hi for me.” He smiles brightly, charmingly, at him.

Rhodey doesn’t return it. “Tell them yourself. I already checked with Pepper so I know you’re free. And I know there isn’t anything else you need to do instead.” He sighs when Tony continues to shake his head, “Why are you so stubborn?” 

“Pretty sure you knew that about me when we started dating. I haven’t changed since then.” 

“Yes,” Rhodey nods, “when we started dating  _ two years ago _ . At which point you have used every excuse in the book to avoid meeting my family.” 

Tony looks down, fiddling with the screwdriver in his hands. He tries to shrug off the hurt he feels. Rhodey isn’t being unreasonable he has to admit, if only to himself. He has no reason to feel that way. “To be fair I  _ have _ met them before, we just weren’t dating yet.”

“Right. And you only met them once because I dragged your ass home for Thanksgiving one year. You’ve never been back since.” 

Tony shrugs, sinking deeper into his corner of the couch. Maybe if he tries hard enough it will swallow him whole. Then he won’t have to deal with any of this. The silence stretches on as he refuses to say anything else. He doesn’t mean to be a brat about this, it’s just that, well, he can’t exactly see this going well. It never does when he is involved. 

Rhodey sighs and moves over so that their shoulders are brushing. He throws an arm around him to pull him close. “Alright Tones, you want to tell me what’s going through that head of yours? And don’t give me that crap about being fine. What’s wrong? Did someone say something last time you were there?” 

Tony shakes his head, hiding his face against Rhodey’s chest. If he is being honest than Thanksgiving was fine. More than fine. It was possibly the best one he ever had. It would sound bad if he ever said that out loud, but it was true. His Mamma was always extra busy around that time until the new year. Jarvis and Ana didn’t really celebrate it, even if they made an exception for him. And the less said about Howard the better. So Thanksgiving had been good. It felt real, sitting at the Rhodes family table, with food spread out across it and laughter and noise filling the room. 

But he still felt like an outsider, no matter how much he was welcomed. Like he was intruding on something that he had no business being around. The food was delicious and the company good, but that made him feel guilty too. How could he disrespect Ana and Jarvis like that? They did so much for him. He couldn’t replace them. He was already treading thin ice as it was. Even if everyone said he was welcome they couldn’t mean it, could they?

And that was when he and Rhodey were just friends. Now that they are dating the expectations are sure to change. He might be okay as a friend, but as a boyfriend? There is no way any of them are going to approve. That’s just how it is. Tony is okay to use, to flatter and to butter up so that he will give you what you want, but besides that? He’s pretty useless. His brain and his money and his body - that is what he is good for. It still amazes him that Rhodey has stayed with him this long. Surely if they go to his home together then Rhodey will come to his senses and dump him. 

He can’t lose Rhodey. He can’t. Not only was he his first friend and one of his first boyfriends, he’s, well, he’s pretty much everything to Tony. People have called him clingy before. They aren’t wrong. It’s just that Tony is so spectacularly bad with people that he tends to do anything for those who will put up with him. Add to that that he falls fast and hard and it is a recipe for heartbreak. It’s happened more times than he likes to think about - potential partners, potential friends, potential anyone. People don’t want Tony for Tony. 

So surely when Rhodey’s family sees them together they will realize the same. Rhodey loves his family. He listens to them. Will he listen to them if they tell him to break up with Tony? Even if he doesn’t, Tony doesn’t want to cause trouble. He’s already burden enough, he won’t add to it. But he doesn’t say any of this to Rhodey because it is pathetic and embarrassing as well as true. 

Rhodey cards his fingers through his hair. “Come on my little koala cat, tell me,” he gently teases. 

Tony grumbles at the name, but doesn’t say anything. At least platypus is a real animal. No matter how fake it looks, it is a real animal and only  _ one _ animal, not a mixture of two. It’s either koala bear or kitty cat, not both. But does Rhodey ever listen when he tells him that? No of course not. He can’t help but sink into the touch though. It always feels so good when he does this. 

Rhodey presses a little bit harder, adding more pressure. “Is your brain tying you up in knots again? Do I need to do a search and rescue to bring you back to Earth?” 

“Humph,” Tony huffs, but unfortunately he can’t exactly deny it. There are times when he’s had to do just that, although it is much less ridiculous than it sounds. 

“That’s what I thought.” Rhodey sighs. “My family loves you. No one complained when I brought you home the first time and no one is going to complain if you come home this time. We’ll have a nice relaxing weekend before we get busy again.” 

“There is nothing relaxing about your house,” Tony points out. All those people? It was chaos. Take it there will be fewer of them this time, but his point still stands. 

“My whirlwind will fit right in then.” Funny how he sounds so fond about that. As if it’s a good thing. It never was before. But then again Tony already knew that Rhodey was special - he had to be, to put up with all of Tony’s crap. 

“We’ll drive over Friday, get coffee and doughnuts from your favorite bakery, have a good time and leave Sunday. And if you are really that uncomfortable or if things go that badly then we’ll leave before then.” And then he adds, because he knows how weak Tony is for him, “Please Tones? Just this once?” 

And how is Tony supposed to say no to that? He isn’t, is how. Two years is a good run in the end. Two years may not be enough, but it’s more than he ever expected. He agrees. What a cheater. This better be worth it. 

Which is how he finds himself in the car, in the passenger seat eating a doughnut while Rhodey drives. His leg bounces in time with the music - and from nerves, but he tries to ignore them. It doesn’t work very well, but he tries. 

“Easy peacock, you’ll be fine,” Rhodey reassures probably for the twentieth time today. It doesn’t work. Easy for him to say after all, he isn’t the one riding towards disaster. 

By the time they arrive Tony is so nervous that he’s sick to his stomach. He shoves his hands into his pockets as he gets out of the car so the slight trembling isn’t visible. No way this is going to end well. No way, no way, no- 

“Surprise,” everyone shouts when Rhodey opens the door. From the looks of it the entire family is here. If not then it is close. It certainly looks like it, comparing it to Thanksgiving. 

Tony turns to Rhodey, eyes wide. “What?” 

“Happy birthday genius,” he says before kissing him. It doesn’t last long, mainly because they are soon swarmed by people, each talking over each other, happy and smiling and asking them questions, offering him birthday wishes. It’s just - wow. He hadn’t been joking about the energy level in the house. 

Rhodey kisses his forehead, whispering, “Love you Tones,” before they are dragged in two different directions. 

Well, alright, maybe this won’t be a disaster after all. Maybe. Or maybe it will just be a different one than he is expecting. Yeah, that sounds about right. Still he can’t help smiling as one of the cousins - Jennifer - asks him about his AI project. 


End file.
